Spring Picnic
by BerkieLynn
Summary: "Could I steal you away for lunch?" Fluffy fluffiness where nothing of consequence happens. Except cuteness.


_For Jennifer, who requested fluff on a difficult day._

* * *

Kate Beckett is bored. Beyond bored. No murders in a day and a half? Does that even happen? Even Castle gave up trying to entertain her today and went home after their morning coffee, claiming that he had some editing to do on Deadly Heat, which isn't even an excuse so much as the truth. She's actually kind of jealous that, for once, he has more work to do than she does. Not that she wants anyone to lose their life but she really needs something to do. An excuse to get out of here.

Almost as if he heard his cue, her phone buzzes, a text from Castle lighting up the screen.

_Could I steal you away for lunch?_

She grins and snatches up the device, swiping her thumb across the screen and tapping in her passcode.

_Please please please do._

_That anxious to see me, detective?_

She can hear the smirk in his written missive so she types back, _Just need a change of scenery. I suppose your face will do._

_Cruel._ The reply comes quickly, he was probably expecting an answer like that. Another text comes through before she can rib him again. _If you're done being mean, meet me at Central Park West and 67th?_

She thinks a moment before her eyes widen and types back, _Tavern on the Green isn't open right now._

_I'm aware of that, it's merely a meeting spot, not a destination._

_Why don't we just meet at the destination then?_

_And take away the one mystery you might get today? Where's the fun in that?_

She huffs out a laugh and shakes her head at how well he knows her. _Ok, fine. When?_

_Soon as you can get here._

_You're already there?_

_Had to do some recon. And that's as much of a clue as you're getting. See you soon._

_On my way, _she sends as reassurance before standing to don her coat.

Two heads perk up across the bullpen. "Lunch?" Esposito asks and she has to bite back a laugh at how anxious he sounds. They're definitely just as stir-crazy as she.

"Yep, but you're on your own, I've got a lunch date." She waggles her phone at them in reference to the conversation they had to have seen her having.

"Man, Dad never invites us for lunch anymore," Ryan laments.

"We all had Thai last week," she reminds him.

"Yeah, but," he starts before cutting himself off, slumping back in his chair and pouting. Literally pouting, bottom lip sticking out and everything.

"You're big boys, you can take care of yourselves." The glare that Espo gives her is hilarious and she just smiles at them and tosses a "See you later" over her shoulder as she heads out.

* * *

She takes a taxi to avoid the headache of trying to find a parking spot in Manhattan at lunchtime and gets dropped off on 68th. She crosses Central Park West and stuffs her hands in her pockets as she heads towards the agreed meeting place. It's a not a terrible day weather-wise, slightly overcast though the sun is managing to peek through and splash patches of warmth. The wind is brutal though and she hunches her shoulders up to try to protect her neck. If only she had grabbed a scarf this morning.

She spots him standing next to a bench poking at his phone screen, his eyebrows contorted in frustration. There can only be one reason for that.

He doesn't even look up but whines "Candy Crush Saga is the worst thing that I've ever downloaded to my phone," as she approaches, his Beckett radar fully functional.

She shakes her head and waits for him to lose the level. (He might win. Not likely though.)She takes in the accoutrement around him, noting the picnic basket sitting on the bench and the duffel bag at his feet. Both are intriguing because it's too cold for a picnic and what on earth could he have packed a bag for?

Before she can ask, he's done with the game (lost, as expected) and looks up to see her eyes narrowed at him. He knows she's trying to solve the mystery but he just smiles mysteriously at her while pulling a purple scarf out of one of the side pockets of the duffel. He loops it around her neck and tugs on the ends to bring her closer; their lips crash together and the combination of the scarf and him help to cut the chill.

"Hi," he says as they part.

"Hi." Her greeting is wary, the consonant a breathy drawl from her lips.

"You ready for lunch?" he asks as he settles the bag on his shoulder and hefts the wicker basket.

"You are not seriously taking me on a picnic." If she sounds more amused than annoyed, it's because she is.

"Why not? It's Spring." He shrugs nonchalantly.

"It's barely three days into Spring and it's 40 degrees out."

"I brought you a scarf," he points out.

"Still." This is the extent of her argument; she knows that this is going to happen because she can't resist seeing what kind of magic he creates.

He can see it in her eyes, how badly she wants to know. He holds out a hand to her. "C'mon." His voice is warm with the invitation, his eyes soft on hers. She slips her hand into his and he grins in triumph, leads her down the sidewalk and into the park. She's figured out by now that they're headed for Sheep Meadow but when they reach the edge of the expanse of mostly green, he takes a right on the path, directs them toward the line of trees on the south end.

"The wind isn't so bad here," she notes.

"Told you I did recon." They only take another half dozen steps before he nudges her to walk between two trees, stopping them just as they break the shadow of the branches. "And here we are."

He sets down the basket and the duffel, unzipping the latter and producing a large, square quilt, its bright colors clearly indicating that it's intended for use on much warmer days. He settles onto one of the blocks and pats the space next him before turning back to the basket, knowing that she'll join him.

She lowers herself to the ground; the grass is dry and crackles under the fabric but the plush blanket keeps her comfortable. Castle has pulled quite an array of things out, mugs and thermoses, plates, bowls, fabric napkins and…a Panini press? She laughs at the sight of it and he glances over at her, a conspiratorial twinkle in his eye.

"It's too cold for cold food." He mostly explains before she can ask.

"And how are you planning to operate it?" she asks, pointing at the very obvious cord that's attached.

"Never doubt me, my dear detective." He produces a device from the duffel bag, a blocky black and yellow thing that looks like it belongs on a construction site. "Portable outlet," he explains, setting it next to the Panini press and plugging it in.

She's scooted closer and is pressed against his back so she can look over his shoulder at the display. He turns his head and pecks a kiss to her nose that has her wrinkling it up in amusement. Or embarrassment. She's not big on PDA so it could be either. She backs away and he immediately misses the warmth of her body on his.

"Did you do any editing this morning?"

"Right, like I had time for that when I was getting all this stuff out." He plucks a few spoons from the bottom of the basket and sets them next to the bowls on the quilt.

"So that was just a ruse this morning when you left me alone at work?"

He nods, his back still to her as he pulls out a few parchment wrapped bundles. "There's one case closed today."

She smiles at him, that secret smile laced with love that only he gets to see. It's still on her face when he turns around, bowls in one hand, large thermos in the other. She leans forward and places icy fingers on his face but he can hardly complain when her lips slant over his a moment later. The items in his hands clatter to the ground and then he's gripping her hips, trying to pull her closer but she's already pulling away.

He loves when he doesn't care so much about PDA, loves when she has no words so she shows her appreciation with her mouth. It happens at home an awful lot but not so much when they're out. So this, this is a treat.

"Trying to make sure I wasn't bored today?" she teases as she settles back in her own spot, tip of her tongue peeking out between her teeth.

"Making sure you had an excuse to leave if you needed one."

"Thank you." The words are insufficient so she tries to infuse additional gratitude into her tone, make sure he understands.

"Of course," he shrugs like it's nothing and maybe it is.

"Did you just have all this sitting around?"

He nods as he places a bowl in front of her, starts opening the thermos. "Alexis and I used to do picnics all the time, especially in summer when she was off school."

"You didn't take me on a picnic last summer." It's an accusation, but a playful one.

"We were busy last summer." He raises an eyebrow at her and her whole body flushes with warmth, memories of that time parading through her mind.

"Point taken."

He chuckles low in his throat and shots her a dark look that sets her blood singing. Ten months into this and still he can fluster her with a glance. Though of course, he's had that ability for a while now.

"Damn it, I didn't mean to do this yet." He's looking at the contents of the thermos in his hand, already moving on from the moment while she's still catching her breath. He recaps the container and reaches for the other, slightly smaller one and the mugs. "Drinks first, soup with sandwiches." He shakes it a few times before uncapping this one and then pours out something that looks like coffee but smells like more. He hands her the mug and now that it's closer to her nose, she gets a strong whiff of chocolate as well.

"What's in this?"

"Do you really think that I'd serve you coffee that I don't think you'd like? Just take a sip."

The liquid slides over her tongue like silk, the complexities of the coffee mixing perfectly with the chocolate that he combined it with. Her eyes drift closed and she hums contentedly, hugging the mug to her chest. This is far from her regular drink but she could get used to it. She can sense Castle closing the distance between them, his hand tangles in the hair at her neck before he captures her lips, nudges his tongue inside her mouth to share the taste. That contented hum continues even when he pulls away and her eyes blink open.

"I did good?" he asks, a little bit cocky.

"Mmmm-hmm." She nods and takes another sip, eyelids fluttering of their own accord. "What is this?"

"Single origin Guatemalan and drinking chocolate from that café we found a few weeks ago. Oh, and some steamed milk. The first batch was too rich."

"More recon?" She smiles from behind the mug at him.

"It was a scientific experiment!"

"Science, huh?"

"Adam Savage says that the only difference between screwing around and science, is writing it down. And I wrote down the ratios I used. Thus, science." He smiles at her, an almost shy, little boy smile that has her heart flip-flopping. She imagines him working on this in the kitchen, the proud smile when he got it right. Got it just right for her.

"At least we can recreate it whenever we want." Her comment causes the exact proud smile that she was picturing to bloom across his face.

Castle turns back to finish their feast, unwrapping the sandwiches from the parchment and placing them between the hot metal of the press, laying out plates, arranging the bowls and spoons, folding the napkins in simple triangles before placing them next the plates. Kate watches his movements with amusement and unguarded affection; he steals glances at her as he works, a different version of that proud smile on his face. He's glad that he can do this for, glad that she lets him. He knows she doesn't need anyone to take care of her, he's completely aware that she's capable of doing it herself but the fact that she relinquishes control to him now and then, it means the world to him.

Just before the bread is brown enough, he pours homemade tomato basil soup into the bowls then slides the hot sandwiches onto the plates, brandishing a knife to slice them in half before setting the plates back in place. He fishes a few bottles of water out of the basket and finally sits on the quilt across from her.

"Lunch is served." He punctuates the proclamation with a flourish of his hands.

"Castle, this looks fantastic."

"Tastes even better," he promises.

She holds up her bottle of water in a toast and he mirrors her, waiting for her words. "To getting out of the office on a boring day." She takes in their surroundings and adds, "Literally getting out of the office."

He bumps his bottle on hers. "Eat before it gets cold."

They dig in and Kate has to admit that this meal was worth sitting out in the cold for. The mozzarella, avocado and turkey on the sandwiches is a perfect lighter counter point to the thick and herby soup and the warmth of both spreads through her chilled body.

She's debating between taking another bite and complimenting the cook, when her phone rings, a silent buzz in her pocket. She sets her sandwich down and groans, retrieving the device. Castle watches her movements and when she withdraws the phone, he can't help his outburst.

"Really?!"

Kate sighs and confirms, "It's dispatch," before swiping her thumb over the screen. "Beckett. Uh-huh. Okay. Have you called Detective Esposito yet? Could you, please? That'd be great, thanks." She taps the screen to end the call and raises apologetic eyes.

"At least you won't be bored for the rest of the day." Castle offers.

"At least there's that." Her voice is filled with regret. "Castle, I'm sorry, you went to so much trouble and now-"

"Hey, no," he cuts her off. "It was no trouble. It's never a trouble when it's for you."

She smiles at him, joy radiating from her face. "Have I said 'thank you'?"

"You have. You can say it again though."

She rises to her knees and scoots across the blanket to his side, drapes her arms over his shoulders. She's caught unaware when his arms circle her waist and she suddenly finds her herself basically laid across his lap, a squeak of surprise escaping her lips.

He's laughing, not exactly at her but kind of at her, and can't help but dip his head to steal a kiss. "You were saying?"

She wants to huff in annoyance, thinks that she should be annoyed but all she really is is charmed by him. "Oh hell, you know," she manages to sputter before surging up to kiss him senseless.

"Wow," is his only response when they part; she has to admit that she has nothing to add to his assessment. He raises her back up to her kneeling position at his side and kisses her soundly one more time. "Go to work. Call me if it's a fun one."

"Fun?" She arches an eyebrow at him. "A 'fun' murder?"

"You know what I mean." She does.

She takes the rest of the sandwich with her, almost saves the last bite for when she gets there just to show the boys what they missed but decides that's just a little too mean.

It's not a "fun" one but at least that gives Castle time to put away all the picnic supplies. He makes sure they're easily accessible for any future outings. Summer is right around the corner after all.

* * *

**I'd love to know what you think.**


End file.
